Tiger Talk Magazine

OFFICIAL MATCHDAY MAGAZINE OF THE WESTS TIGERS

EDITION No: 3 SATURDAY, MAY 23 ROUND 11 - WESTS TIGERS V COWBOYS

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A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

TONIGHT is a special night for Wests Tigers as we come together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the club’s 2005 grand final victory.

The club has put a lot of effort into making tonight a night of celebration both on and off the field and we hope that you all enjoy what we have planned.

From a live band to kids’ activities and a fireworks display to the opportunity to take to the field after full-time, there’s plenty on offer tonight at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.

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It’s also great to have a large contingent of the 2005 playing squad in attendance tonight.

You’ll get a chance to see the grand final winners at half-time when they do a lap of honour.

Tonight is also a special occasion for premiership winner Dene Halatau who is set to captain the club for the first time.

I’m sure you’ll all join me in congratulating Dene on this honour and wishing him the best of luck for the game.

Tonight marks the beginning of an important period for Wests Tigers with seven home games scheduled in the next nine rounds.

It’s a great opportunity for our members and fans to get out to the games, show their support and help get the team over the line.

— Wests Tigers CEO Grant Mayer

TIGER TALK / CONTENTS

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Contents 06 Coach and captain columns 07 Player profile: Dene Halatau 12 Player profile: Pat Richards 14 Feature: Five moments that made ’05 16 Commemorative poster 18 Meet the NRL team 20 Meet the Holden Cup team 24 Kids’ activities 30 Member Spotlight

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CONTACTS Editorial: Alicia Sylvester Ph: 4640 5100 E: alicia.sylvester@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Advertising sales: Michelle Baillie Ph: 8741 3300 E: mbaillie@weststigers.com.au

Advertising sales: Elaine Arriguetti Ph: 4640 5151 E: earriguetti@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Contributors: Dan Talintyre, Craig Heydon, Brock Corfe, Amos Hong

Contributors: Alicia Sylvester, Ben Chenoweth, Jess Layt

Saturday May 23, 2015 05

COMMENT / TIGER TALK

Jason Taylor

The coach

IT’S a special achievement for me to captain the side this week; I have never captained a team before in my life and it’s an honour to do it at a club where I have played the majority of my NRL career.

For us, even though it is the 10-year anniversary of the 2005 grand final, it’s a game that we need to win and the focus for us tonight is about the here and now.

Obviously we need to improve on the way we have played over the last few weeks and while it’s nice to acknowledge the past, we are well and truly focused on winning the game tonight.

I think our main area of improvement needs to be our defence; the Cowboys are a really dangerous attacking team. They are also missing some of their key players through Origin but we still need to focus on our defence.

We have talked about it over the last few weeks and it’s clear that to get back in the winners’ circle, we need to be tough on ourselves when it comes to our defence.

Hopefully that shows tonight.

Being back in front of a home crowd gives us a real advantage, especially after having seven out of 10 away games to start the year.

We have a good run of home games coming up over the next few rounds and if we can notch a few wins at home during the Origin period it will really set us up well for the back-end of the year.

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IT WAS a disappointing trip to Newcastle last Sunday, we worked really hard leading into the game but for most of the match we ended up on the back foot.

Coming off five-straight losses, the Knights were a desperate side and when you are playing on the back foot like we did, it’s obviously really hard to win.

The positive to take from that game is that we kept fighting, but in saying that we’ve got to be better in regards to the metres we let opposition teams make.

I thought that we got ourselves back on top a couple of times throughout the match, however, we couldn’t take our opportunities and we made it easy for them in defence.

That was a disappointing aspect; we weren’t as fluent as we usually are.

Looking ahead to today’s game, Robbie (Farah) and Aaron (Woods) are away on Origin duties, which leaves a couple of serious holes to fill in the side as they are two of our leaders.

We deliberately started Dene (Halatau) last week to get him ready to take Robbie’s place. He hadn’t started a game this year so it was important that he got a taste of that. Dene has answered every question that has been asked of him this year and it’s a good opportunity for him to start the game as hooker and I’m confident he will do well.

As a team we are heading in the right direction and the guys are working hard at playing a different style of footy.

We are getting better each week and will continue to do so.

Dene Halatau

The Captain

TIGER TALK / PLAYER PROFILE

A grand final eve like no other

By Dan Talintyre WHEN you’re only 22 years of age and playing in the first finals series of your career, preparing for a grand final certainly isn’t an easy thing to do.

As if the thought of knowing you’re preparing to play the biggest game of your career isn’t enough, the commitments required with public functions, fan days, media requests and more can all start to take their toll, and for local junior Dene Halatau, the week leading into the grand final was a less than ideal experience. ‘‘To be honest, I didn’t enjoy it really,’’ he reflected on the week. ‘‘All the build-up for all the other games in the finals was so different; there wasn’t anywhere as much going on compared to that week. ‘‘That week of the grand final is incredibly fullon with all the commitments, and those things kind of threw me around a little bit. I didn’t handle it very well.’’

However, while he might have been daunted at first by the week, Halatau recalls the night before the grand final when he stayed with Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah, as one of the most incredible, but calming, nights of them all. ‘‘The night before the grand final, Benji actually rocked up at about 11.30pm or midnight from one of his best mate’s 21st birthday,’’ he laughed. ‘‘He rang us up on the way back home and said, ‘Do you want me to grab you boys some burgers from Maccas?’ ‘‘We said, ‘Mate, we’ve got a grand final tomorrow so no burgers for us,’ but it’s just so funny now to look back on. ‘‘I was that nervous that I didn’t sleep and Benji’s there with a bag of Maccas

DENE HALATAU

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

Saturday May 23, 2015 07

PLAYER PROFILE / TIGER TALK

‘‘

We were both so nervous and Benji, I guess, showed us that it was just another game we were playing and it was just another night to prepare for it.

Halatau reflects on grand final eve FROM PREVIOUS PAGE in his hand as we played some Stick Cricket on the old laptop.’’

Just 21 at the time, Farah too found the incident both funny and strange as he reflected on his most unusual grand final eve. ‘‘I remember thinking when Benji walked in the door that night, ‘Is this bloke serious’,’’ Farah recalled. ‘‘I mean, we’ve got the biggest game of our lives tomorrow and he’s at a party asking me if I want a cheeseburger. ‘‘But that was Benji. That was the way he handled

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Saturday May 23, 2015

things. I was a nervous wreck, and he was at a party, and then he went out the next night and did what he did like he’d done all season long.’’

And while it might have been strange, unexpected and a bit of a shock at first, both agreed that deep down inside, it had done them the world of good. ‘‘Looking back, it probably actually helped the night,’’ Halatau said with a smile. ‘‘We were both so nervous and Benji, I guess, showed us that it was just another game we were playing and it was just another night to prepare for it. ‘‘He carved us up on Stick Cricket that night too,’’ laughed Halatau. ‘‘Even with his cheeseburger fingers.’’

HEAD-TO-HEAD / TIGER TALK

Consecutive wins elude us both

By Ben Chenoweth FORM might point to a North Queensland Cowboys victory but history has sided with Wests Tigers.

The form of captain Johnathan Thurston has been nothing short of sublime and has turned the Cowboys into genuine premiership contenders, while the young Wests Tigers side has continued to struggle for consistency.

Over the past six games, neither side has been able to string together consecutive wins against the other — with the Cowboys winning the last game 64-6 in round 22 last year.

While the home side’s wins have generally been by small margins, when the Cowboys have won, they have won big.

The last four times the Cowboys have come out on top it has been by scorelines of 64-6, 50-22, 29-16 and

42-14, respectively. Last year in round 22, the outside backs for the Cowboys had a field day with nine tries shared between the fullback Michael Morgan (1), wingers Tautau Moga (2) and Antonio Winterstein (2) and centres Matthew Wright (3) and Kane Linnett (1).

The good news for Wests Tigers fans: your club has won seven of the last 10 games against the Cowboys.

The only side they have a better record against is the Parramatta Eels with eight wins from the last 10.

Veteran Pat Richards also ticks both the form and history boxes.

He has scored in his last three games against the Cowboys and has had no trouble finding his way across the white line this season either, scoring eight tries in eight games.

The Cowboys have also only won one game at Campbelltown Sports Stadium against the joint venture in round 25, 2003.

PAST FIVE GAMES ■ Round 22, 2014: Cowboys 64 d Wests Tigers 6 1300SMILES Stadium ■ Round 6, 2014: Wests Tigers 16 d Cowboys 4 Campbelltown Sports Stadium ■ Round 26, 2013 Cowboys 50 d Wests Tigers 22 1300SMILES Stadium ■ Round 11, 2013: Wests Tigers 22 d Cowboys 20 Leichhardt Oval ■ Round 20, 2012: Cowboys 29 d Wests Tigers 16 1300SMILES Stadium

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PLAYER PROFILE / TIGER TALK

The best experience

By Dan Talintyre HE’S played more than 320 games of football across two continents. He’s won grand finals and championships, been awarded the Man of Steel and numerous point-scoring awards throughout his now 15-year career.

As far as the 2005 grand final is concerned, Wests Tigers fans will talk for days about ‘‘that’’ try that involved ‘‘that’’ flick pass and ‘‘that’’ fend on Rod Jensen.

But despite all of that, the moment that stands out to Pat Richards most as ‘‘the best experience of my life’’ came well before play even started that October night.

Having suffered an ankle injury midway through the club’s preliminary final match against the St George-Illawarra Dragons, Richards had seemingly ruled himself out of contention for grand final selection.

Which, understandably, was hard to take for the winger given he’d already missed a grand final with Parramatta in

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Saturday May 23, 2015

2001 with a broken leg and a large portion of the 2004 season. ‘‘To think that you’ll miss the biggest moment of your life was shattering,’’ reflected Richards. ‘‘Especially given the trouble I’d had with injuries and the fact I’d played every minute of every game that season, it was just devastating. ‘‘I did everything that I could [that week] to possibly play, and to be honest, I didn’t give myself much chance or hope to play in the grand final.’’

With Shannon McDonnell preparing to play on the wing in Richards’ absence, the then 23-year-old faced a late fitness test the day before the grand final at ANZ Stadium — his final chance to overcome the odds and be declared fit to play. ‘‘I remember we were sitting in the sheds after training at ANZ while he was out there,’’ recalled Robbie Farah, ‘‘and we were just waiting for him to finish. ‘‘He came in shortly after and just stood there, before

TIGER TALK / PLAYER PROFILE

of Pat’s life finally saying ‘I’m in’. Everyone just started jumping and cheering and going absolutely berserk. ‘‘It lifted the boys so much in energy and spirits, knowing that he was going to play. ‘‘I reckon that’s when we won the comp, right there in that little room. ‘‘He was such a big part of our side that year; he was just unbelievable for us, and for him not to have played that game, it would have been a huge loss for us.’’

For Richards, the moment is one etched firmly away as one of his favourite memories throughout his entire rugby league career. ‘‘That moment was one of the best experiences of my life,’’ Richards reflected. ‘‘When I told the boys and the whole room erupted, [and] to feel how excited they were that I was going to be part of the day was incredibly special. ‘‘I was just glad that I could get out there with them and take my place.’’

Saturday May 23, 2015 13

FEATURE / TIGER TALK

Five moments

1

Scott Prince sinks the Bulldogs (round 3)

Still searching for their first win of the season heading into their round 3 clash against the defending premiers, Wests Tigers trailed 18-6 in the first half before storming their way back thanks to tries from Brett Hodgson, Daniel Fitzhenry and Scott Prince.

A spectacular length-of-the-field effort finished off by Bronson Harrison saw Tim Sheens’ side lead 36-18 with 13 minutes to play, but thanks to an inspired attacking performance from Braith Anasta, the Bulldogs sensationally levelled the match at 36-36 in the final minute of play. Wests Tigers weren’t done with yet, though, and after remarkably re-gathering the kick-off through Robbie Farah, they had one final chance to win the match.

That responsibility fell on the shoulders of Scott Prince, who rose to the occasion and nailed the field goal perfectly to give his side a stunning 37-36 win for their first points of the year — kick-starting what was going to be a spectacular season.

2

Comeback win against Raiders (round 22)

Having already won four in a row heading into their round 22 match against the Raiders, confidence was certainly high in Tim Sheens’ side as they continued their surge towards the top four.

But a trip to the nation’s capital is always a daunting prospect, and trailing 14-0 at the break, it seemed that the streak was about to be broken.

An inspired second half performance saw the visitors emerge with a stunning 22-14 win that, according to Robbie Farah, really started to instill the belief that they could go all the way that year. ‘ I remember sitting on the bus coming from that game,’ he said. ‘And I remember thinking that we’ve got a real shot at this … we can win the competition this year.’

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TIGER TALK / FEATURE

that made ’05

3

Brett Hodgson’s points-scoring record (qualifying final)

‘ For a lot of us,’ recalls Dene Halatau of that game, ‘ it was our first finals experience and we didn’t know what to expect.’ And while that wasn’t true for everyone in the squad, nobody would have expected the start to the finals series that followed against the North Queensland Cowboys. Brett Hodgson set a club record that still stands to this day — chalking up three tries and nine goals (30 points) — in the win, as Wests Tigers thrashed their eventual grand final opponents 50-6. ‘ We were just playing whoever was in front of us,’ Pat Richards said. ‘ It didn’t matter who it was, we had that much confidence and self-belief, we believed that we were going to win and going to put on some points.’

4

Benji Marshall’s try against the Dragons (preliminary final)

Billed as an atmosphere that would be dominated by Dragons supporters due to ticketing problems, players still recall that game as one of the most electric environments they’ve ever experienced. And after all that build-up, the match started in perfect fashion for the underdogs against a highly-rated Dragons outfit, with Benji Marshall scoring off the back of the a scrum inside the opening minutes of the game. ‘ He just left Gasnier in his boots, and scored that try, and that really set the tone for us to kick on that night,’ Dene Halatau said.

5

Pat Richards’ miracle try (grand final)

Perhaps the most iconic grand final try in history, Marshall’s flick pass to Richards is one that will forever be remember by Wests Tigers fans as both an incredible scoring play but also a play that changed the game. Just a few minutes before the break, Richards’ remarkable effort gave Tim Sheens’ side an additional buffer at half-time — taking a 14-6 lead into the sheds — which they would extend further to run out 30-16 winners in the end. And while there’s plenty of iconic moments throughout the season, perhaps none more so than that try to sum up the mix of youthful talent, flair, attacking prowess and determination that hallmarked Wests Tigers’ incredible season. ‘ You play rugby league to win grand finals – that’s what it’s about,’ John Skandalis reflects. ‘ It was quite emotional to see the success of the club because we were there in 2000 when it all began, and then to see it finally happen … it just all seemed worth it.’

Saturday May 23, 2015 15

LINE-UP / TIGER TALK

YOUR NRL WESTS TIGERS

JAMES TEDESCO 1. FULLBACK

KEVIN NAIQAMA 2. WING

DAVID NOFOALUMA 3. CENTRE

CHRIS LAWRENCE 4. CENTRE

LUKE BROOKS 7. HALFBACK

MATTHEW LODGE 8. PROP

DENE HALATAU (C) 9. HOOKER

KEITH GALLOWAY 10. PROP

MARTIN TAUPAU 13. LOCK

AVA SEUMANUFAGAI 14. INTERCHANGE

JACK BUCHANAN 15. INTERCHANGE

SAUASO SUE 16. INTERCHANGE

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TIGER TALK / OPPOSITION

PAT RICHARDS 5. WING

MITCHELL MOSES 6. FIVE-EIGHTH

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Lachlan Coote Matthew Wright Justin O'Neill Kane Linnett Antonio Winterstein Michael Morgan Ray Thompson Ben Hannant Jake Granville Sam Hoare Gavin Cooper Ethan Lowe John Asiata

Interchange 14. Rory Kostjasyn 15. Glenn Hall 16. Ben Spina 17. Kelepi Tanginoa Coach: Paul Green

* INJURY OR ILLNESS MEANS PLAYER LISTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CURTIS SIRONEN 11. SECOND ROW

DELOUISE HOETER 17. INTERCHANGE

KYLE LOVETT 12. SECOND ROW

BRENDEN SANTI 18. INTERCHANGE

JOEL LUANI 20. INTERCHANGE

JASON TAYLOR COACH

Saturday May 23, 2015 19

LINE-UP / TIGER TALK

YOUR HOLDEN CUP WESTS TIGERS

JEREMY MARSHALL-KING 1. FULLBACK

RYLAND JACOBS 2. WING

WATSON HELETA 3. CENTRE

JOHN TOHI 4. CENTRE

VEIRU MAPESONE 7. HALFBACK

JJ FELISE 8. PROP

JACK WHEELHOUSE 9. HOOKER

DWAYNE LEMAFA 10. PROP

MATTHEW WOODS (C) 13. LOCK

JUNIOR TATOLA 14. INTERCHANGE

PIO SOKOBALAVAU 15. INTERCHANGE

TOM HARRIS 16. INTERCHANGE

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Saturday May 23, 2015

TIGER TALK / OPPOSITION

JAYDEN WHEELHOUSE 5. WING

TE MAIRE MARTIN 6. FIVE-EIGHTH

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

Yamba Bowie Gideon Mosby Akeripa Tia Kilifi Conor Carey Scott Schulte Ty Carucci Cooper Bambling Viliame Kikau Andrew Niemoeller Ross Bella Coen Hess Temone Power Kieran Quabba (c)

Interchange: 14. Kyle Laybutt 15. Jordan Kenworthy 16. David Munro 17. Braden Uele Coach: Todd Payten

TYLER CASSEL 11. SECOND ROW

ESAN MARSTERS 12. SECOND ROW

* INJURY OR ILLNESS MEANS PLAYER LISTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. BAYLEY SIRONEN 17. INTERCHANGE

PIFELETI PIFELETI 18. INTERCHANGE

BRETT KIMMORLEY COACH

Saturday May 23, 2015 21

NEWS / TIGER TALK

Building a new home for Wests Tigers

By Craig Heydon KEY to success on the field is preparation off it.

Over the years Wests Tigers has outgrown its current training base at Concord Oval. The facility has served the club well but as the sport becomes more professional, Wests Tigers are in need of a new space to call home.

High performance facilities have come along in leaps and bounds in the past 10 years and Wests Tigers are now in the position to develop a Centre of Excellence of its own.

With the assistance of the NRL and all levels of government, Wests Tigers can create a Centre of Excellence that will allow the club to have regular access to the level of facilities and resources required to be successful both on and off the field.

This facility will service the current and future needs of the club including football, administration and community programs. It’s important the centre includes facilities that can be utilised by community partners as well as it being accessible to the broader community.

Wests Tigers’ current facility is aged and does not provide

optimal training and preparation, with the club’s football and administration operations housed in 1800 square metres.

Initial plans for a Wests Tigers Centre of Excellence include a floor space of around 4000 square metres featuring state-ofthe-art training and recovery facilities, administration space, community facilities, meeting rooms and lecture theatres.

A facility such as this requires significant investment from a number of parties, with construction costs of more than $20 million.

Wests Tigers are leaving no stone unturned in developing the best facility for the future of the club, looking at a range of locations for a new home. The locations are varied with the club working hard to ensure that the final decision will be best for the club both now and long into the future.

.

50 Raby Road, CATHERINE FIELD

10 Old Leumeah Road, LEUMEAH

810 Camden Valley Way, CATHERINE FIELD 22

Saturday May 23, 2015

02 4628 4188 | www.westslc.com.au |

PUZZLES / TIGER TALK

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Saturday May 23, 2015

TIGER TALK / PUZZLES

Saturday May 23, 2015 25

TIGER TALK / COMMUNITY

Remembering 2005: A fan’s perspective

By NothingButWT THERE aren’t many stories in rugby league like the 2005 season.

Another finish in the bottom eight beckoned.

Sitting 12th with nine rounds remaining, coming off the back of seven losses from nine games, something had to give.

Seeing Scott Prince holding the premiership trophy aloft was a dream that only existed in the minds of the club’s tragics.

For whatever reason, the boys won 12 of their next 14 games and that dream became a reality.

If that night left Wests Tigers fans with anything other than memories and a hangover, it should be a message that there is never a time to write-off a team in this competition.

That night — October 2, 2005 — should have united the club, the board and the fans.

As we celebrate and look back on this achievement, let’s also use tonight as the night where we move forward united, as one club.

October 2, 2005 was the best night of my life.

Let’s ensure we play our part to get the club to the ‘‘promised land’’ again.

Saturday May 23, 2015 27

ONLINE / TIGER TALK

Stay in touch

online LATEST NEWS Check back regularly for everything you need to know about Wests Tigers.

www.facebook.com/ WestsTigers.com.au

@WestsTigers

FROM THE SHEDS Hear reactions and analysis from players and coaches after the game.

@nrl_weststigers

PLAYER PROBE Find out some hilarious insights into the squad. youtube.com/user/ WestsTigersOfficial

All this and more at:

www.weststigers.com.au 28

Saturday May 23, 2015

TIGER TALK / STATS

Player statistics after 10 rounds

Leading try-scorers

Most tackles

Pat Richards, James Tedesco Luke Brooks Kevin Naiqama, Tim Simona

Robbie Farah Aaron Woods Martin Taupau Sauaso Sue Kyle Lovett

8 6 3

Most hit-ups 435 292 288 267 247

Aaron Woods Martin Taupau Keith Galloway Sauaso Sue Curtis Sironen

Metres gained 161 106 99 93 85

Aaron Woods James Tedesco Martin Taupau Kevin Naiqama Keith Galloway

1813 1318 1140 1137 1108

Source: nrl.com

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT / TIGER TALK

Support for club is a family affair

By Jess Layt FOR the Giagodi boys, supporting the Wests Tigers is not just a hobby, it’s a rite of passage.

Father and son Marcel and Marco Giagodi are dedicated Wests Tigers members, attending every home game and both holding Elite Memberships. ‘‘I signed up as a member in 2002, the year that Marco was born, and signed him up as well,’’ Mr Giagodi said. ‘‘My Mum and Dad support the Wests Tigers as well, and my daughter wants to be a part of the little girls’ cheersquad.’’

The Wests Tigers member has supported the joint venture since its initiation 15 years ago, and followed Balmain for as long as he can remember before that. ‘‘The first game I went to was in 1981, the era of Steve Roach and Paul Sironen,’’ he said. ‘‘Marco was only a few months old for his first Wests Tigers game. ‘‘He was there to witness, like I

was, the grand final win in 2005, which was an important moment for both of us.’’

The family also shows its support for the club through buying merchandise, with several framed and signed jerseys and Wests Tigers number plates.

It’s not just a love of the team that the father and son share, but a favourite player in Pat Richards, whose kicking game Mr Giagodi said excited the pair. ‘‘I think we can definitely make the top eight this year — it’s been a few years since we made the semis and I think we can make it that far this year,’’ Mr Giagodi said. ‘‘Jason Taylor has definitely been a good choice for coach, and new players like Kevin Naiqama have been going really well. ‘‘It’s always great to get out to the grounds and support the club with their exciting Wests Tigers brand of football.’’

THERE’S

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Saturday May 23, 2015

Marco and Marcel Giagodi

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